Comparing Media Systems: What a Difference Supply Makes

Abstract

The variety of media systems globally allows us to compare their outcomes, further testing the causal link between the media and political ideas. This chapter examines the ways different countries have designed and regulated their media systems. It traces differences between levels of political knowledge across countries to differences in how their respective media systems have been structured, particularly regarding the degree of commercialization and level of investment in public service media. These comparisons suggest best practices to make media systems better live up to the ideal role they should play in a democracy: providing a free, fair, and open marketplace of ideas.